PUDUKOTTAI
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has urged the Tamil Nadu government to substantially increase the relief announced for Ditwah cyclone-affected farmers, calling the existing compensation “insufficient to meet even basic cultivation losses.”
At the conclusion of its two-day State Committee meeting in Pudukottai on Wednesday, CPI(M) State Secretary P. Shanmugam said the party was pressing for ₹35,000 per acre for inundated paddy fields, instead of the ₹8,000 per acre announced by the State.
He said farmers across the Cauvery delta had suffered heavy losses, with nearly three lakh acres of samba and thaladi paddy submerged. Agricultural labourers deprived of work due to the rains must also be compensated, he added, urging the Union government to release adequate funds from the Disaster Relief Fund.
Mr. Shanmugam said the CPI(M) extended full support to the series of labour agitations scheduled for December 8, jointly organised by Left parties and the VCK against the Union government’s labour codes. These codes, he said, dilute long-won worker protections, expand contract labour, and weaken job security for youth entering the workforce.
The party also asked the State to resolve the ongoing protest by Chennai Corporation conservancy workers, reiterating that sanitation responsibilities should not be outsourced to private contractors and must remain within the Corporation’s workforce.
Expressing displeasure with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the CPI(M) said the hurried exercise had created “widespread procedural confusion” and placed unreasonable pressure on booth-level officers. Bulk form submissions without verification and cases of BLOs facing stress-related trauma indicated serious systemic issues, the party said.
Mr. Shanmugam said the party had decided to submit a complaint to the Chief Justice of India against Justice G.R. Swaminathan of the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, alleging that certain recent verdicts reflected a “consistent bias.” He also condemned the threats issued against Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan after his criticism of a court directive related to the Karthigai Deepam at Tirupparankunram, and sought State protection for the MP.
On the 2026 Assembly elections, Mr. Shanmugam said the party had prepared a list of constituencies where it expects to contest, including its current seats in Kilvelur and Gandarvakottai, but discussions with allies were yet to begin.
State Committee members, including U. Vasuki, M. A. Baby, K. Balakrishnan, G. Ramakrishnan, P. Sampath and K. Balabharathi, participated in the two-day meeting.
Published – December 03, 2025 07:41 pm IST
